February 15 @ 1:00 pm – February 17 @ 4:00 pm
It’s Gonna To Be a Hot One!
February 15-17, 2026
Hyatt & KI Convention Center • Green Bay, WI
The cold can’t keep us away from Green Bay! Join us for another round of the WAA & WIDNR Annual Winter Conference! The Program Committee put together another fantastic agenda this year. See details below.
Hotel Information
Reservations can now be made for the annual conference. The HYATT room block is OPEN! We have blocks in three hotels this year!
Hyatt (host hotel)= Attached to KI Convention Center at 333 Main St. Conference rates: $124/night for single/double or $149/night for triple/quad occupancy, 2 queen bed rate. For other room types, costs vary. For the conference rate, indicate you are attending the WAA/DNR Annual Conference or go to this link: https://www.hyatt.com/events/en-US/group-booking/GRBRG/G-N78X Please make hotel reservations before January 23, 2026. The hotel will not hold rooms beyond this date.
Hampton Inn – (201 Main St., attached to KI Convention Center)- conference rate is $149/night for double queen or standard king. For the conference rate, please call (920) 393-1821 and indicate you are with the Arborist Group Block or use this link: http://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/grbhxhx-waa-1cffa33c-0c00-4faa-acc6-6e534ca56ff2/.Please make hotel reservations before January 16, 2026.
Northland Hotel – (304 N. Adams. St., 1 block from KI Convention Center) – conference rate is $142/night for standard king or $162/night for double queen. For the conference rate, please call (920) 393-7499 and indicate you are part of the WI Arborist Association Room Block or use this link: http://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1758381618669&key=GRP&app=resvlink. Please make hotel reservations before January 22, 2026.
Alternative Hotels
St. Brendan’s Inn = 0.6 mi. from KI Conv Center at 234 S. Washington St., 920-884-8484
Hawthorn Suites = 2.7 mi. from KI Conv Center at 335 W. Joseph St., 920-435-2222
Quality Inn =0.6 mi. from KI Convention Center at 321 S. Washington St., 920-437-8771
More can be found at:
http://www.kiconventioncenter.org/explore-green-bay/hotels-and-overflow-facilities/
Registration Information
Download the Conference Brochure for the full agenda.
- Registration available online until February 10th. WALK-UPS WILL BE WELCOME AT THE CONFERENCE AT DELAYED PRICING.
- Early Bird Discount available until January 30th. Prices will go up on January 31st.
- Registration Fees:
- Early Bird Registration: WAA Member $300, Non-Member $325, WAA Retiree $150 Full-Time Students $70
- Sunday Only: WAA Member $150, Non-Member $175, WAA Retiree $75
- Monday Only: WAA Member $160, Non-Member $185, WAA Retiree $80
- Tuesday Only: WAA Member $150, Non-Member $175, WAA Retiree $75
- Delayed Registration Fee (after January 30th: add $45 per person (except students)
To become a WAA member or renew your membership, click here. Not sure if you are a member, contact Tina Johnson at the link below for registration questions.
REGISTRATION COST IS PER PERSON. THIS MEANS THAT IF SOMEONE FROM YOUR COMPANY IS NOT A WAA MEMBER, THEY DO NOT GET MEMBER PRICING!
Speaker Line-up – SEE BROCHURE FOR COMPLETE AGENDA
Paul Ahlen – (Owner, Woods Walker LLC), Chainsaw Maintenance and Sharpening Demonstration
Zeus Arreguin – (Owner/Psychotherapist, One Step Closer Therapy LLC), Break the Stigma: Is Your Mental Health Important?
Beau Brodbeck – (Assistant Director for Field Operations/Affiliate Faculty, Auburn University), 1. Motivations, Barriers, and Opportunities for Increasing Credentialed Tree Workers, 2. Trees and Homeowners Insurance: A Need for Adoption of Climate-Smart Tree Risk Assessment
Ian Brown – (City Forester, City of Madison), Joe Hansen (Village Forester/Tree Preservation Officer for the Village of Wilmette), Eric Petersen –(President, ArboRisk Insurance), Increasing insurance perception of tree risk
Dan Buckler – (Urban Forest Analyst, WI DNR), Elton Rogers, Bob Smail — (Urban Foresters, WI Department of Natural Resources), Cemetery Forests Through Different Lenses
Dan Buckler – (Urban Forest Analyst, WI DNR), A Census of Wisconsin’s Entire Urban Forest
Nick Day – (Principal Program Manager, ComEd), 1. Innovative Remote Sensing Technologies in Vegetation Management: ComEd’s Journey and Insights, 2. Building a Climate-Resilient Canopy for Your Electric Utility
Joanne Edmundson – (Vice President &HR Manager, Wachtel Tree Science), Nate Good – (Legacy Conservation Supervisor, Operation Fresh Start/MSW Candidate, UW–Madison), Hallie Ringhand – (Owner, New U, LLC), Mental Health CPR
Drue Epping – (Director Pacific Northwest and West Coast, American Forests), Closing the Canopy Gap: Using Tree Equity Score for Informed Urban Forest Planning
Jeff Epping – (Owner, Jeff Epping Design& Consulting, LLC), Great Garden Designs, Healthy Trees: Never the Two Shall Part
John Wayne Farber – (Director of Operations, Hoppe Tree Service), Certified Arborist Review
Sam Finco – (Owner, The Arborist LLC), 1. Solving Rigging Challenges Before They Happen, 2. Advancing Your Canopy Anchor, MRS and SRS
Josiah Georgeson – (Owner, Strider Trees),1.Take Pride in your Pile, 2. Don’t Play Russian Roulette with Your Rigging
Cole Hager – (Green Jobs Coordinator, City of Milwaukee), August Hoppe – (President, Hoppe Tree Service), Dannell Vance – (Urban Forestry Technical Services Manager, City of Milwaukee), Growing Future Arborists: Youth and Pre-Apprenticeship Pathways
Richard Hauer (Director of Urban Forestry, Eocene Environmental Group), Ways to Benchmark Your Community Through the 3-30-300 Rule and More!
Laura Jull (UW-Madison) – (Retired Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, UW–Madison), Don’t Get Caught With Your Plants Down: Abiotic Tree Disorders, Prevention and Solutions
Jeremy Kane – (Director, Urban Tree Alliance), The Urban Woodland Project: Mapping, Insights, and Future Standards
Gary Kohler – (Owner, GJ Kohler Trees & More LLC), Shelly Wollerman – (Owner/Operator, Soteria Training Solutions), 1. Aerial Rescue Demonstration, 2. First Aid Practice & Applications
PJ Liesch – (Extension Entomologist, UW–Madison), Reading the Tree Leaves: Using Clues from Plant Damage to Identify Insects
Luke McCormack – (Scientist, The Morton Arboretum), 1. Root Strategies and Leaf Tolerance to Drought 2. Hands on Roots
Bill McNee – (Forest Health Specialist, DNR), Current and Future Urban Forest Health Issues
Josh Mitchell – (Director of Vegetation Management, Mi Energy Electric Cooperative), Cutting Time, Not Corners: The Story Behind a Cooperative’s Cycle Reduction
Johanna O’Boyle – (Owner, Ursa Minor Tree Care), Lanyards: Work Positioning and Beyond
Travis Orlando – (Sr. Operations Supervisor, Wisconsin Public Service), Cody Rye – (Sr. Operations Supervisor, Wisconsin Public Service) Electric Path to Ground, LIVE ELECTRICAL DEMONSTRATION
Philip Potyondy – (Smart Tree Management Practice Lead, Davey Resource Group), 1. AI for “Tree People”, 2. Smart Tree Management: Superpower or Hoo-ha?
Roz Remsen – (Technical Advisor, The Davey Tree Expert Company), Oak Decline Research Update
Chad Rigsby – (Research Scientist, Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories), “Bugs and Crud”
Dave Scharfenberger – (Retired Owner, Wachtel Tree Science), An Arborist Trek to Mount Everest (with a safety message)
Zack Shier – (Commercial Account Manager, Joseph Tree), Urban Oak Decline: Preservation and Management Options
Luke Scheberl – (Instructor, Mid-State Technical College), Urban Soil Management for Trees
Thomas Schumacher – (Certified Arborist, Tree Health Management), Ascent Method
Wes Tregilgas –(Safety, Education, & Training Manager, Wright Tree Service), 1. Fundamental Electrical Hazard Awareness: All About Arborists Working in Trees Adjacent To, or In, Utility Rights-of-way, 2.Utility Storm Work: Unloading Wires Under Tension a Teaspoon at a Time.
Robert Vanderhoof – (Research and Consulting SME, Arbormetrics), Condition Based Vegetation Management: Aren’t We Really Talking About Asset Management?
More details are available on the brochure above. Hope to see you there!
WAA Retiree Information New This Year!
To try to keep retired members engaged in the WAA, the WAA Board of Directors approved a motion to adopt a 50% conference rate for retired members with at least 10 years of WAA membership. Registration will be as normal, just choose the WAA Retiree rate for the conference.
Poster Presentations
- We will be hosting poster presentation sessions again in 2026. A poster presentation is a great way to engage with peer professionals in sharing novel ideas and experience in the arboriculture, urban forestry, and landscape horticulture field.
- Posters will be on display all day Monday and Tuesday morning. Presenters will be available for questions during Breaks with the Exhibitors.
- For more information and to submit an online abstract (250-350 words, max) before Jan. 9, 2026, go to this link: http://www.waa-isa.org/tribe-events/call-for-poster-presentations-at-the-waa-dnr-annual-conference-3/
Ascent Event Climbing Competition
- Monday evening from 5:30-6:30 pm, right before the blue light special, the WAA TCC will be hosting an ascent event to see who is the fastest climber in GB land.
- Climbers of all skill levels encouraged to compete.
- Limited to the first 24 climbers to register.
- Please register separately for this event by Feb. 13, 2026 at this link: http://www.waa-isa.org/tribe-events/ascent-event-climbing-competition-at-the-2026-waa-dnr-annual-conference/
Exhibitor Information
- Click here for more information about the exhibitor booths.
- Questions about becoming an exhibitor? Ask Todd Haefke for more information.
Sponsorship Information
- Sponsorships are available! Click here for more information.
- Many still available!
- Questions about sponsorships? Ask Nate Schuettpelz for more information.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
- Refunds will be made if requested on or before January 30, 2026 with a $25 processing fee.
- There will be no refunds for cancellations made after January 30, 2026, although substitutions may be permitted. Refunds will only be considered in emergency situations at the Wisconsin Arborist Association’s discretion. Refunds will not be provided for registrants who do not attend the event.
- Notice of cancellation and/or substitutions must be made by contacting Tina Johnson through the Contact Us page on our website or by calling Tina Johnson at 262-899-0060. A cancellation acknowledgement will be sent within 3 working days and fees refunded within 10 working days, subject to this Return Policy. We do not issue refunds once the event has occurred.
Registration Questions? – contact WAA Chapter Executive Tina Johnson
Related Even
PAYMENT AND RETURN POLICY